Quinta do Lago Golf Academy Undergoes Significant Transformation

The Irish-owned Quinta do Lago’s reputation as a trailblazing champion of golf development has been further boosted with significant enhancements to its Golf Academy. Since its inception in 1972, Quinta do Lago has been at the forefront of international golf, hosting eight Portuguese Opens as well as numerous other international tournaments. Home to three world-class golf courses, the resort also boasts a wealth of cutting-edge practice facilities.

Quinta do Lago boasts three Championship courses (North, South & Laranjal Courses) and is also home to both the Quinta do Lago Performance Centre in partnership with TaylorMade and the state-of-the-art Paul McGinley Golf Academy. Ahead of a busy winter season, the site has received one of its most significant upgrades since opening, with the addition of two new teaching bays that will allow multiple lessons and club fittings to take place simultaneously.

Situated a stone’s throw from the resort’s three championship golf courses – the North, the South and Laranjal – and other practice facilities, the academy’s ultra-modern bays are fully covered to facilitate lessons in sun and rain. The retail experience has also been upgraded, with a larger and more sophisticated academy shop displaying a wider range of products than ever before to give guests endless choice when looking for the perfect equipment or apparel.

Sean Moriarty, CEO of Quinta do Lago, said: “We are extremely proud of the role that Quinta do Lago plays in developing golfers, which is a long-standing tradition here ranging from being host to the annual Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship to, of course, the training we offer at the Quinta do Lago Golf Academy. “We are confident that the academy is now the most complete and advanced it has ever been, which puts us in an even better position to make every golfer who trains at Quinta do Lago as good as they can be.”

The Paul McGinley Golf Academy – designed with heavy involvement from McGinley himself – provides golfers of all ages with the tools and techniques used in professional tours around the world, with a focus on developing all players.

Quinta do Lago’s TaylorMade Performance Centre is the only facility of its kind in Portugal and is located on the resort’s expansive driving range. Guests at Quinta do Lago can then test their skills on 54 holes of world-class golf across three courses: the North Course, which McGinley and renowned American golf architect Beau Welling renovated in 2014 to critical acclaim; the South Course, named ‘Europe’s Best Golf Course’ at the World Golf Awards in each of the last four years; and Laranjal, a charming and challenging course posing tests for golfers of all abilities.

Away from the fairways, Quinta do Lago boasts one of the most diverse and acclaimed culinary offerings in Europe, with 14 bars and restaurants to cater for every taste. In 2024, the luxurious Conrad Algarve was added to the Quinta do Lago portfolio, joining the picturesque Magnolia Hotel as another great option for guests looking to stay in the 2000-acre resort.

What Quinta do Lago has to offer

Quinta do Lago North Course
Opening in October 2014, the totally revamped North Course has been redeveloped by renowned American golf architect Beau Welling in close collaboration with 2014 European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley and is set to become one of the new stars of European golf. The new layout has been built to the highest specifications with a €9.6m investment programme and has been redeveloped with the emphasis firmly on precision and strategy. While many modern-day developments tend to focus on length, Welling and McGinley have been keen to design a golfing experience where accuracy and course management are the key factors, and a course that is playable and fun for golfers of all abilities.

Quinta do Lago South Course
A favourite among European Tour professionals, the South Course calls for accurate drives and precise shots, but rewards players for their efforts with the stunning backdrop of the Ria Formosa Natural Park. Regularly included in Golf World magazine’s ‘Top 100 Golf Courses in Europe’, the par-72 layout has received widespread praise for its strategically placed hazards and varying difficulty across the 18 holes. Having hosted the Portuguese Open on no fewer than eight occasions, the South Course is regarded as one of Portugal’s premier golfing venues and underwent a €7m upgrade in 2020 to further enhance the playing experience.

Laranjal Course
Designed by Jorge Santana da Silva in the grounds of an orange grove, the par-72 course was named as Portugal’s Best Golf Course 2011 at the Portuguese Travel Awards and poses serious tests for players of all abilities. Opened in 2008, Laranjal offers a pure golfing experience right next to the Quinta do Lago estate and features fairways sown with Bermuda grass, providing a challenging playing environment in a picture-perfect setting.

Paul McGinley Academy
Quinta do Lago is home to the only Paul McGinley Academy in the world, founded in October 2011 by Europe’s 2014 Ryder Cup captain. With a strong involvement from McGinley himself, who is a regular visitor to the resort, the academy aims to cultivate and improve golfers’ play by providing them with the tools and techniques used on the professional Tours. The academy focuses especially on younger players, working in collaboration with local schools and is the perfect way to follow in the footsteps of the pros.

TaylorMade Performance Centre
Quinta do Lago’s TaylorMade Performance Centre is the only facility of its kind in Portugal and is located on the resort’s expansive driving range. Opened in May 2013, the centre is operated by trained TaylorMade technicians, offering golfers a custom-fitting experience testing hundreds of club and iron options, ensuring the best combination for every player’s swing. It also has a fully equipped Tour standard workshop and utilises FlightScope X2 radar technology to measure the entire flight of the ball from impact to landing whilst displaying its 3D trajectory in real time.
Set amongst 2,000 acres of the picturesque Ria Formosa Natural Park and located just 15 minutes from Faro airport, Quinta do Lago offers residents and guests an unparalleled location benefiting from a year-round temperate climate, a variety of lifestyle pursuits and a strong sense of community.